How to Make Life Easier When Dating a Younger Guy!
by adorkable3
Summary: In five easy steps! In which, well, see the title. DianaMarco.


**Title**: How to Make Life Easier When Dating a Younger Guy you Work With in Five Easy Steps!

**Author**: adorkable3

**Rating**: PG-13 or T

**Note**: I meant to post this about three months ago. Thank goodness I remembered to finally post it about...2 hours before the third season starts!

* * *

_Step #1: Don't act too flirty at work as it is unprofessional._

It was one week after Maia had made her prediction about a war starting. Diana had no choice but to tell NTAC about it, which prompted a huge investigation, though it wasn't anything as big as the investigation into what they'd been doing to the 4400.

Tom and Diana went into the Theory Room to pick up some information that had been prepared for them. Marco looked up from the math equation he was working on. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," Diana responded stiffly.

"We did the research you needed on 4400's in the Seattle area and there were only two that fit the profile you gave us and some of our own speculation." Marco barely looked up at them as he passed over a thick file. "If there's anything you need help with, just call."

"All right," Diana answered, also not looking up from the file. Tom looked between them, confused. Normally, he could barely shut them up, it was always gravity this, genetic analysis that. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Diana turned to walk out. Tom blinked and followed her. "What is up?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Diana asked with feigned innocence.

"You and Marco," Tom said, "Normally you two are so chatty I can barely get a word in edgewise, which doesn't matter since I can never understand what you're saying anyways."

"And?"

"Didn't you notice that I could've recited the Gettysburg Address you two were being so quiet and weird?" Tom asked.

"Nothing seemed strange to me." Diana answered.

"Well, the only time I've seen people acting that formal around each other is either after they've had a fight or hooked up." Tom laughed, but then he caught Diana blush.

"I don't want to know."

_Step #2: Don't act so stiff around each other that it's out of character and everyone immediately suspects that you've started a relationship.

* * *

_

"I still don't get it."

Diana and Marco were out on their first proper date (because dinner at her house and meeting for lunch did not count), and somehow, the difference between black holes and white holes had really come up in their conversation.

"Okay," Marco said. "You know what a black hole is, right?"

"Kind of," Diana sighed, "But it was my sophomore year of college that I took basic astronomy. It wasn't an intensive course."

"All right, so a black hole has so much gravity that light can't escape. The Schwarzschild radius says that-"

He was cut off by his cell phone ringing. "It's Brady. Maybe England finally sent over that info they've been promising us for months." He picked up the phone. "Hey." There was a long silence from him. "When? Do they know who did it?"

Diana just assumed it was some Theory Room thing until she heard him say "How many were killed?"

"What's going on?" she mouthed. Marco shook his head. Then it was Diana's phone's turn to ring. "Skouris," she answered, more than a little annoyed that dinner was being interrupted this way.

"Diana, it's Tom."

"What's up?"

"A bunch of 4400's at a support group were murdered. Nina's calling everyone in to start work on the investigation."

"Do they have any leads?" Diana asked.

"None so far. The surveillance tapes of the building were taken, so we don't have much to go on yet, but Nina said Washington's going to have a field day over this" Tom explained in a hurried voice. "You need to get over here now."

"All right, I'll be there as soon as I can." She snapped shut her phone and looked at Marco. "You got the same message?"

He nodded. "Looks like it'll be another fun week of ripple effect theories."

The head waiter came to their table. "Excuse me," he said, "But we encourage our patrons not to use their cell-"

"We're Homeland Security," Diana interrupted, "And we're going to need our check."

About half of NTAC was gathered in front of Nina's office, where she was standing at the head of the crowd. Diana and Marco slid in between their coworkers to get to Tom. Nina was clearly halfway through her big speech.

"We need full background on every 4400 that was killed. As for suspects, we can start with people who worked at the center where the meeting was held; see if any employee would have a reason to do a returnee harm." Nina stopped and said, "Diana, Marco, so nice of you to join us."

A few people turned around to follow Nina's gaze and smirked. Diana looked around her; everyone else was wearing standard got-called-into-work-on-a-Saturday clothes; it couldn't have looked more obvious that the two of them had been on a date than if they'd had it tattooed to their foreheads.

"No wonder you sounded so irked when you answered the phone." Tom whispered to her. Diana glared at him.

_Step #3: Never answer your cell phone during a date.

* * *

_

"Tell me if this hurts."

"Ow!"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." The new doctor (who Diana didn't like as much as Doctor Hudson, but he was very nice and not stressed out 80 of the time) finished bandaging her arm. "The knife wound could have been a lot deeper than it is, and you're lucky that you didn't lose too much blood. That doesn't mean you're not in for a lot of pain. I'm sure Nina will give you as much time off as I recommend."

Diana nodded and winced. Even doing that hurt. Her entire body hurt. She was going to be so bruised tomorrow. She could feel the black eye welling up already.

"Why don't you just hang out in here for a bit and rest, then you can think about getting home," The doctor smiled at her comfortingly and left the room.

Diana leaned against the wall. She had not expected to get beaten and stabbed at today. Maia hadn't seen it coming (she supposed that was a good thing; she'd hate for Maia to have visions of her mother getting assaulted). How was she going to tell Maia? Out of all the awkward mother-daughter conversations with Maia she'd been anticipating, "Honey, I kinda got beat up today while trying to hunt down a bad guy" was not one she had thought about.

She was just wondering how she would spend her time off when the door bust open and Marco came rushing in. He made a move to hug her, saw her bandaged arm, and stopped in front of her.

"Tom told me that you were in here," Marco said anxiously, "What happened?"

"I'm fine; I was just…beaten up by the guy we were trying to arrest." Diana finished lamely.

"Diana, that doesn't happen to people and they say 'I'm fine'."

"I'll be bruised up and I needed some stitches, but I'll be okay." Diana assured him.

"How'd it happen?" He asked, looking her over for any more bruises.

"Me being stupid." Diana answered honestly.

"You're not stupid," he interjected.

"You may want to revise that assessment after this." Diana warned him. "We went to the house that belonged to the man who killed those returnees last week. The police said he hadn't lived there for years, so we didn't bother securing the house. I was poking around in the kitchen and he jumped out of the pantry." She sighed, "I was so sure the house was empty."

"All right, maybe not your smartest moment, but definitely not your fault." Marco assured her. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Any chance you could pick up Maia for me?" Diana asked. "I'd rather she be at home when she sees this."

"Sure," he nodded. "This might also be an excellent night to order pizza."

"Agreed." Diana smiled weakly.

Marco took her hand in his and squeezed it before asking "So, are you okay? Really?"

"My head hurts" she admitted softly. Marco kissed her forehead gently and then looked back at her. The next thing she knew, she was kissing him and everything felt better. Suddenly her head wasn't throbbing anymore, her arm wasn't hurting, all she could feel was him kissing her back-

"Ahem." They both turned to look at the door.

Three nurses were standing in the door frame, staring at them incredulously. Marco and Diana started to blush at the same time.

"Yes, well, look at the time," Diana stammered, heading towards the door "I've got to get home and pick Maia up. Yep."

"Yeah," Marco said, already following close behind Diana, halfway out the room, "Let me help you with that."

_Step #4: If you have to make out somewhere, find a broom closet. With a lock. In a deserted hallway. Just trust us on this one, okay?

* * *

_

Tom and Diana walked into the darkened Theory Room and looked around. "Hello?"

Marco popped up from behind a filing cabinet. "Oh, hey."

"You called?" Diana asked.

"Yeah," Marco ran over to one of the tables and handed them some papers. "The first few ripple effects are starting to come in."

"From when those twenty were murdered?" Tom asked, impressed. "I thought it was starting to get harder to predict."

"In some cases, yes." Marco explained, "But we've got a few to start with. For instance, a scholarship has been set-up for underprivileged teens in memory of Connie Tate."

"She was the sixteen year-old." Diana murmured, looking through the papers. "So some brilliant minds that wouldn't have gotten a chance now will, and who knows-"

"What they'll produce," Marco finished. "Right on target."

"Thanks," Diana said, stopping to kiss his cheek, "This will be really useful."

They were headed out the door when Marco called for them to stop. "What time are we meeting for dinner tonight?"

"I told Maia's babysitter 7:30, so eight o'clock?" Diana asked.

"Sounds great." Marco smiled at her. "See you then."

Tom glanced at her as they were riding up in the elevator. "This is why I'm glad I never had any daughters," he laughed to himself.

"Why?" Diana asked accusingly.

"This," he gestured at her, "This happy, in love stuff thing girls do. It's weird."

"That's funny," Diana smirked, "Because I feel perfectly fine."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Diana walked out, still smiling. Maybe she could make this work after all.

_Step #5: Be yourself, 'cause none of it matters anyways. You're in love.

* * *

_


End file.
